You Can Now Talk to YouTube’s Artificial Intelligence About What Videos You Want to Watch.
Searching for videos on YouTube hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years: you launch the site, ignore the algorithmic recommendations, and enter your query. I’ve found this to be a relatively reliable way to find the video I’m looking for. In my experience, if it doesn’t appear in the search results, it usually means YouTube doesn’t have it. But it’s 2026, and I can only wonder: why isn’t YouTube search powered by AI?
How YouTube’s new AI-powered search works
Sarcasm aside, Google is certainly working on AI-powered search. As The Verge reports , the company is testing a new search interface that borrows an idea from Google Search’s “AI Mode.” The company says the goal is to make YouTube searches more like a “conversation.” Instead of simple keywords or video titles, users can ask “complex questions,” which the AI uses to return results that include both text and video. Follow-up questions can then be asked to “dive deeper.”
If you use YouTube to find funny videos, this might seem like an unnecessary use of AI. But it seems to be aimed at users who might rely on YouTube to find information or get answers to specific questions. In the description of this feature, YouTube suggests asking its AI to “plan a three-day road trip between San Francisco and Santa Barbara.” These are the types of questions Google and other companies have proposed for their AI-powered web search tools, and I suspect Google sees a particular advantage in YouTube, which can use its vast content library to generate answers to complex questions. This work may already be happening with Google’s AI search, but this tool is reaching an audience that might specifically search for information on YouTube.
Jay Peters of The Verge tried out the new AI-powered search feature, starting with the query “a brief history of the Apollo 11 moon landing.” The AI-generated YouTube search results began with a text description of the mission and listed key moments related to the moon landing. The AI highlighted one video, directing Peters to a specific moment on launch day. Below these results were a series of videos and short videos covering various Apollo 11-related topics—pretty standard. However, at the bottom of the results, YouTube offered several more suggestions, including “Apollo 11 conspiracy theories,” suggesting that the AI isn’t afraid to steer users toward more fringe topics and discussions.
Peters noted that when he tried the same thing with a question about the new Steam Controller, YouTube’s AI erred, assuming the old Steam Controller didn’t come with joysticks. (In fact, it did; or at least with one.) Perhaps the AI used the wrong source or simply returned the wrong answer . In any case, this example highlights that AI is far from perfect, and while the speed and volume of search results can indicate the reliability of the answers, it’s always necessary to double-check the AI’s work.
How to try YouTube’s new AI-powered search
At the time of writing, only YouTube Premium subscribers can test the new AI-powered search. If you have a subscription, enter your question in the YouTube search bar, then select “Ask YouTube a Question” and confirm your request. If you’re not satisfied with the answer, you can ask additional questions to continue the conversation.
YouTube says this feature will be available to Premium users until June 8. It’s unclear whether the company will roll it out as a full feature by that date or temporarily discontinue it.